Everest

For many climbers and adventurers, Mount Everest is a myth and a challenge that they would like to face at some point in their lives. Although many people have died trying to climb the 8,848m above sea level peak, there are always attempts to conquer Everest. In May 1996, two teams attempted to reach the summit. Led by experienced climbers Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal), a total of over 30 alpinists venture on the dangerous expedition. Whether pathologist Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), mailman Doug Hansen (John Hawkes) or journalist Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly) - as different as these people may be, they all share a dream. And that makes them accept the dangers that threaten them. But both Hall and Fischer are, as always, concerned with keeping those very dangers as minimal as possible. When they set off from base camp on the morning of 10 May in bright sunshine, everything looks like perfect circumstances for reaching the summit. But when they reach the summit, the weather suddenly changes and they begin a life-threatening descent that could quickly end in disaster...

Based on true events, Everest is a truly gripping drama set against an imposing natural backdrop. Filming took place in the high mountains on the trek to Mount Everest in Nepal, in the Italian Alps, and at the legendary Cinecitta Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in London. The difference between the scenes shot on location and those shot in the studio are certainly noticeable on closer inspection. But the good visual effects, the spectacular 3D realization and the gripping story ensure that this small weakness hardly carries any weight.

Director Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns) has kept his film closely to the facts of the May 1996 disaster. But even those who do not know the outcome of the story will be able to guess it quickly. For despite all the dramaturgical realism, Kormákur repeatedly reaches deep into the cliché box of common disaster films, so that even small snippets of dialogue are enough to seal the fate of individual characters from the start. Subtlety isn't exactly the production's strong suit. Ultimately, this leads to the characters remaining a bit too one-dimensional overall, and their fate doesn't move the audience as much as it should.

That admittedly doesn't change the fact that Everest offers the viewer some truly nerve-wracking suspense, especially in the second hour. After a somewhat plodding start to the story, events take on extremely dramatic and rousing overtones with the climb to the summit and the approaching storm. Even though the storyline here offers no real surprises, as a viewer you'll be pressed into the cinema seat with tension the entire time. The depth of the image, which is achieved by the good 3D effects, intensifies this even more.

Everest is dramaturgically no masterpiece. But the great ensemble of actors, the breathtaking landscape shots and the atmospherically dense staging make up for most of the weaknesses quite easily. So, all in all, you get first-class suspense cinema and a thrilling drama in front of an impressive backdrop, which once again makes it clear that man should never lose respect for nature. For this there is clearly a: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp